


Charming and Coverup

by MultiVerSonalityDisorder



Series: Captain Cold/Leonard Snart AUs [5]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Different Bad Guy, Different Goal, Different Team, Established Relationship, M/M, Minimum History Research, Polyamory, Slow Romance, Threesome - M/M/M, ménage à trois
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-07-15 01:00:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16052192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MultiVerSonalityDisorder/pseuds/MultiVerSonalityDisorder
Summary: Leonard Snart...doesn't judge. It's not his place. Yet, somehow, he still ends up getting involved. Shit.





	1. Choices

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone. I decided to try to do a very alternate go at this show. I changed a lot of the characters, added some OCs, and redesigned the mission. Now, to further play with the whole time traveling and messing with timelines I decided that this is five of six. This one is Leonard Snart in a same-sex ménage à trois with two male OCs. I own nothing, but I did make up Charming and Coverup.

_First recruit: Dr. Raymond Palmer. Also known as The Atom._

_Next recruit: Dinah Lance. The product of heroes and the alias Black Canary._

_Duncan Briggs and Wilton Meyer: Charming and Coverup. Youthful troublemakers._

_Karen Beecher: Bumblebee. A student of Dr. Palmer’s._

_Malcolm Duncan: Under the name of Guardian, he’s a writer and engaged to Miss Beecher._

_Leonard Snart and Mick Rory: A pair of criminals._

* * *

 

The proposal was easy to understand. Or, at least somewhat easy. A man by the name of Rip Hunter wanted a group of sort-of nobodies to travel through time and stop a really bad guy. Some dude who went by the name of “Clock Wise”. Going throughout history and killing off very important people, trying to mess things up for one reason or another. Not sure why. Not sure if it matters.

Now, the only question left aside from “Does anybody believe this guy?” is “Who’s going to take the bait?” Who wants to risk their life for a timeline that might not even be all that messed up? It didn’t feel like things shifted at all, but maybe nobody really notices those things. One would think that if everything did a one-eighty then it wouldn’t slip their attention, but who knows for certain?

“You’re making that face,” Wilton hummed as he picked up the empty cartons from their Chinese takeout off the table. He wandered over to the trashcan and eyed Duncan from the corner of his vision.

Long blonde curls were kept in a ponytail, contrasting with the light tan of Duncan’s skin. In a tank and a loose pair of sweats, Charming was taking care of the dishes, suds floating up to his elbows. The man was scowling as he scrubbed, and he remained silent. A much darker skinned man, Wilton Meyer had his arms crossed in front of his chest. The garbage removed from the dining table of their shared apartment, he kept an intense stare at the older man’s back. Dressed similarly for the night, he waited for a response. When it was unfortunately evident that Duncan wasn’t going to budge, Wilton huffed, “Duncan, come on, talk to me.”

“I don’t have a good feeling about this,” the blonde blurted irritably. He ran the water, then placed the last dish into the strainer, gripping the edge of the sink and waiting with hunched shoulders.

Wilton sighed softly, cautiously approaching the other from behind, “It probably won’t be easy. It’ll probably be dangerous, but we can do it. I know we can.” Tentatively, he reached out and grabbed Duncan’s arm. “Don’t make me do this without you. I need you.”

Green eyes flickered to the other. Duncan sighed. They’d been at it all night and Wilton really wanted to do this. He’d have to give up or else Coverup could get himself killed. “Fine.”

**-**


	2. Hello '80s

“So, we have to find this gnome guy?” Mick questioned gruffly as he stared out the window of the ship to the snowy landscape outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was 1986 and he wasn’t a fan of the cold.

“Genome, Mick,” Leonard corrected, subtly thrilled at being in temperatures better suited for himself. Being in his element, he was practically sneering at the outside view in a sick glee.

“Whatever.”

Ray Palmer rolled his eyes. It was supposed to be himself, the thieves, Dinah Lance, and Wilton Meyer going out to the University of Michigan. They were supposed to split up where Captain Cold and Heat Wave would sneak around and check out the security set up at the school while the other three would apply the personas of potential donors. Specifically interested in one professor in particular.

“We need to make sure we don’t screw this up guys,” the Atom snipped as he adjusted his two piece suit. “We’re talking Francis Collins. He’s going to lead the Human Genome Project and trust me when I say we don’t want anything to happen to him.”

“I know we’re trying to preserve history, but will it be that big of a deal if this guy isn’t the one who ends up working on the project?” Wilton spoke up as he inched towards the hallway to start heading off the ship. He stood in a tan suede jacket half-zipped over a midnight turtle neck. Equally dark slim pants accenting his long legs down to his well-kept shoes. “I mean, I’m sure that somewhere down the line someone else would have picked up his spot. There are plenty of scientists in the world.”

“We’re not going to chance it, Wil,” Dinah adjusted her own coat that nearly engulfed her navy blue suit jacket. Her blonde hair was tied back in a bun and a pair of glasses sat atop her nose. “Don’t forget what they say; ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’.”

“Is Duncan going to be okay?” Ray piped up, eyes on Wilton who waved the tall man off.

“He’s still not up to anything after that time jump. We won’t be all day, and he’s a tough guy,” Coverup shrugged with a smirk.

“Oh, please,” Snart barked with a roll of his eyes. “Enough with the chit-chat. Let’s get a move on boys and girls.”

“Yeah,” Mick agreed gruffly, stomping out of the bridge thunderously past Wilton. “Let’s go find a nerd.”

Leonard followed with his smirk still evident in his features, and Ray close behind with an exasperated sigh towards the pyromaniac’s behavior. Wilton paused, waiting for Dinah who smiled at him as she approached. She grabbed his hand and the two interlocked fingers. He squeezed her hand gently with a minute trembling in his bones. Dinah knew that Wilton was worried, and more eager than he led on to return. She was aware of Duncan’s reluctance to join this crew and leaving Charming alone while still ill was definitely on the list of least desirable situations for Wilton to find himself in. However, this was what they all signed up for. They would have to make due. She tugged on his hand gently, and the two made their way to catch up with the rest.

**-**


	3. Are You Up To Something, Leonard Snart?

It was almost ironic. Leonard Snart and Mick Rory went on this whole stupid quest to work their way around the DNA matching and other such damning techniques to gather evidence on criminals and the like and now they found themselves having to defend it. Or, they were being given the opportunity to do so. They didn’t quite have to. Technically, if they really thought about it.

“We’ll be on the bench for this one,” Leonard drawled as he leaned against the monitor on the bridge.

The date was September 8th, 1984 in Leicester, England. Their goal was to protect Alec Jeffreys who would one day be the man to set into motion the use of fingerprinting as evidence in crimes and other such things.

Wilton was standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He rolled his eyes as he looked at the two of them, “You do realize that fingerprinting isn’t the only form of DNA evidence down the line, right? You wouldn’t really be gaining anything by just standing by and doing nothing.”

“It’s the principle of the matter,” Snart smirked despite the small attack on his ego. “How could Mick and I look any of our colleagues in the eye knowing we’ve aided one of the men responsible for making our jobs so difficult?”

“Please, you all lie to each other so much you can’t look each other in the eye to begin with.”

“Watch your mouth, Ghost Boy,” Mick was getting antsy with Wilton’s attitude.

Duncan stepped into it, gripping his boyfriend’s shoulder and squeezing it. He leaned in and whispered something into Wil’s ear, earning a gruff huff from the younger. Charming’s hand slid down Wilton’s back to gently rub his spine, and in the corner of his eye he noticed Leonard’s eyes follow it. He didn’t mention it as he didn’t want to create any further problems.

“Mr. Rory and Mr. Snart,” Rip sighed as he rubbed at his temples, “I didn’t pick you to be part of this team just for you to sit on the ship for however long it will take us to catch Clock Wise.”

Leonard lifted a strong and strict finger, “Let’s get one thing straight. You didn’t _pick_ us. We _chose_ to humor this little endeavor, but if this is where it ends then by all means. Please, take us back to 2016 so we can move on with our lives.”

“Didn’t expect you two to be quitters,” Wilton snipped at the thieves. “Then, again, neither of you really finished high school, did you?”

Mick snarled, but Leonard flicked his wrist. Holding his hand in front of his partner’s chest to restrain him. Instead of anger, his brows were arched in thought and Duncan even considered that perhaps Snart was impressed with Wilton’s remark. Duncan had worked with the older man before once or twice so he was familiar with some of his expressions and gestures. He barely knew how to read some of it, but something told him that Captain Cold might be won over after all.

“Fine,” Leonard finally replied pointedly. “We’ll play ball, but we won’t participate in anything directly involving Jeffreys. Mick and I will be on the other side hunting down and looking for leads on Clock Wise. Sound reasonable?”

“Very well, we’ll split into teams,” Rip stated with an exasperated sigh. “Mr. Palmer, Ms. Lance, Mr. Meyer, Mr. Snart, and Mr. Rory will be looking into leads on Clock Wise. Meanwhile, Mr. Briggs, Ms. Beecher, and Mr. Duncan will be working with me on keeping Alec Jeffreys safe. Any objections?” There weren’t any, which relieved Rip as he felt he was slowly losing his sanity with these people. He still wasn’t completely convinced that this mission wouldn’t go up in flames. There was still time…

* * *

 

Everyone split apart. Preparing themselves for the rest of the day. Duncan once more caught Leonard Snart staring for just a moment before the older man suggested to Mick they head to the cargo bay. Charming couldn’t quite understand. Leonard Snart wasn’t a man who “got caught” very often doing _anything_. How was it that he seemed to be so poor at staring at people? Or, was he making a point and letting himself get caught. It made Duncan uneasy.

Charming knew the man was a criminal mastermind, a cold blooded killer when he felt he was in the right and when he needed to get his goals accomplished. It seemed like he wanted to say something to either Duncan, Wilton, or the both of them. Was he wanting to start a fight? Was he trying to get Duncan to slip back into his old habits and convince him to assist both Captain Cold and Heat Wave in their mission to steal everything they could throughout time and history? A part of him even wondered if perhaps Duncan was a target of something Snart was scheming. That made him even more nervous.

“Babe, are you okay?”

Wilton’s soft voice broke him from his thoughts. Duncan suddenly found himself in the hall, fingers intertwined with his boyfriend’s as they walked to their shared quarters. Green eyes met with a dark brown pair and he sighed softly. He squeezed Wilton’s hand and attempted a small smile. “Mostly,” he wasn’t going to lie. The two had agreed that they would be as honest as possible to each other. At first it was just about Duncan’s rehabilitation, but then it just stuck as a healthy factor to their relationship. A relationship that neither exactly imagined getting into when Wilton first offered to help Duncan turn over a new leaf. It was a most wonderful and pleasant surprise.

“Want to talk about it?” Wilton gave one small swing of their joined hands as he whispered warmly to the other. “We’re not exactly shipping out right now. We have time.”

Duncan thought on it. He sincerely wasn’t sure and he wanted to make sure he was making the right call. He didn’t want to worry Wilton over nothing, but Leonard Snart was acting suspiciously. Just how much should Duncan tell him, anyway? Maybe start in slow with what first caught his attention. Wilton had a bit of a temper, and he was very defensive of his friends and family, so if Duncan mentioned the wrong thing it was possible that Wilton would go after Snart and that wasn’t anything that Charming really wanted. That could end up being a brutal altercation, and Duncan Briggs couldn’t stomach the thought of his lover beaten and bruised.

“Later,” Charming insisted. “It’s nothing too important. Nothing really big.” When Wilton gave him a somewhat doubtful expression, the older man added, “I do want to talk about it. I just…want to talk about it when we have more time. So…tonight. After dinner. We can talk all we want until the morning comes.”

Wilton snorted, “Not exactly. We will need to be going to bed at a semi-reasonable hour. We do have jobs to take care of.”

“Fine, but we’ll have a lot more time tonight than we will right now,” Duncan chuckled softly, mainly to himself. “I want to take our time with this talk and I want to make sure I explain it correctly.”

The younger man couldn’t hold back a beaming smile. His dark eyes lit up and he leaned in to peck a kiss to Duncan’s cheek. When Charming turned his head, Coverup stole another one from the other’s lips. Both ended up with stupid grins on their faces. “I’m so proud of you,” Wilton murmured affectionately, and that’s all that Duncan really needed.

**-**


	4. Research

“Why don’t you just ask him?”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I promised Duncan that I wouldn’t.”

The team was relaxing that evening. It had been barely four days that they were in 1984, but they were able to scare Clock Wise off. Not that that was exactly helpful. At least Jeffreys was safe. They were supposed to be catching the bastard, but things were usually easier said than done. Currently, Wilton was having a beer with Dinah and Karen, sitting down on the bridge while the rest of the team was inside of Rip’s office and drinking their fill of whatever Hunter had on hand that could get them hammered. Mick seemed to be going for the gold medal as he downed one drink after another.

Wilton was trying to be at least somewhat discreet as he spoke with the women about his current problem. Duncan had mentioned to him the first night they landed outside of town that Snart had been staring at one or both of them. It seemed to really bother the blonde man, so Wilton tried to keep an eye out for it. It seemed to be at least somewhat true. There were a few times throughout the last couple of days that he caught a glance from the cold thief. It also piqued his interest, but he wasn’t nearly as upset as Duncan. Maybe he should have been.

Coverup knew the older man was more familiar with what Leonard Snart was actually capable of, but for some reason Wilton found it more annoying than unsettling. “Am I just weird?” he asked before sipping his beer bottle.

“I mean, you are,” Karen shrugged, “but I think you should just confront him about it. If he has an issue with you it needs to be resolved. Otherwise, it could affect the team.”

Dinah tapped a nail against the side of her glass, staring into the murky liquid, “It’s not like him, though. To just stare like that without something behind it. I mean, I haven’t come head-to-head with him often, but Leonard Snart is much more forward than that. If he has something on his mind he’s usually not afraid to say it. Especially to your face. I can only think that maybe he’s got something he’s plotting.”

“That’s what Duncan is afraid of,” Wilton sighed softly. “He’s worked with him, and I’ve never really interacted with him until now. Duncan’s…worried…and that upsets me. I don’t know what to do, but Duncan thinks that confronting him will start something. That it’ll bring down the cold wrath or some stupid shit like that.” He knocked his head back and took a few long gulps to finish his beer. He gave a rough gasp afterwards and let the butt of the bottle rest on his thigh. “I told him I wouldn’t talk to Snart, but I might have to break that promise. It’s upsetting Duncan, and honestly it’s just unnecessary. Talk or move the fuck on.”

“Grab him tonight and talk to him, then,” Karen suggested. “Hell, show up to his room, knock on the door, and demand that he tell you why he’s so obviously staring at you.”

“Or, you can catch him right now,” Dinah subtly gestured behind Wilton who turned to see what she meant. Leonard was strolling off on his own, a beer in his hand, and his parka flopped over an arm. “Up to you, but it’s probably better that you talk without the influence of alcohol.”

“Oh, please,” Wilton snorted and stood. “I’ve only had two and Snart never gets drunk. That I know of. And, it’ll be more suspicious for me to sneak out while Duncan is sleeping tonight, anyway.” He winked at them, “Thank you, ladies. You’ve been a real big help.”

He handed his empty bottle to Karen and gave them a thumbs up. His eyes flickered back to Rip’s office to make sure his boyfriend hadn’t disappeared nor would catch him slinking off. He was relieved to see that Malcolm was preoccupying him with some small talk on how his writing was going. Inhaling slowly and hoping any fog in his mind would clear up soon, Wilton kept his attention as sharp as possible while on the lookout for Leonard. It wasn’t long before he could hear the echo of boots, and soon he turned a corner to find the man leaning against the wall with his back. His eyes pointed right at Wilton as he sipped his beer, nearly sneering.

“Hello, there.”

Wilton’s heart skipped in his chest, but he didn’t want to show any sort of vulnerability to the other so he was quick to reply, “You noticed?”

“I’m surprised, actually,” Leonard rose a teasing brow as his voice was slow and smooth. “Coverup can become invisible and phase through walls. Yet, here you are like an amateur not even attempting any form stealth.”

The younger male crossed his arms, “I wasn’t trying to hide. I was wanting to talk to you.”

“Oh? That’s a surprise,” Snart adjusted the parka on his arm, his eyes falling with ridiculous lashes brushing above his cheeks before narrowing upwards at the darker skinned man. “What about?”

“Your incessant staring,” Wilton cocked his hip to the right. “It’s not cute.”

Leonard snorted softly, “I don’t try to be.”

“Regardless, knock it off.”

“And, what if I don’t?”

“Then, we’re going to have a problem on this ship.”

Cold nearly rolled his eyes and his sneer died down to a smirk, “Care to give me an example?”

Now Wilton was beginning to feel his blood itch. Was Snart actually drunk for once, or was he completely trying to play with him? Either way, it wasn’t fun. So, instead he decided to go for the attack, “Why are you even staring in the first place?”

Leonard shrugged, “There’s only so much room in this ship. I have to look somewhere, don’t I?”

A dark brow twitched, “Since when does Leonard Snart beat around the bush? I’ve only ever heard about how straightforward you are, but I’m not seeing it. You’re dancing around my questions with more questions. What are you afraid of, Snart?”

That seemed to get a bit more of a serious reaction from the older man. His smirk was still tugging at his lips, despite any slight difference in the change of his tone, “I don’t do ‘afraid’.”

“Then, talk.”

The two men stood there in silence. Wilton gave Leonard the time to think about what to say and how to say it. When Captain Cold simply took another sip of his beer it was evident to Coverup that the other man had absolutely no intention of saying a damn word.

Wilton gave a small huff, “What? I didn’t want to go there, but now I have to ask. Is it really because we’re gay? Does our relationship bother you?”

“What you two do behind closed doors is between you two,” Snart shook his head. “I don’t judge. I don’t exactly have a clean record to earn that privilege.”

“Then, _what_ is it?”

Leonard gave a small sigh, eyes closing, “I’m observing you two. Research purposes.”

Wilton’s eyes gradually grew close to becoming a glare, “What does that mean?”

Cyan-like orbs opened, sharply hitting the younger man with a pristine shine that nearly startled the young hero wannabe, “I don’t know you, kid. I’m familiar with Palmer, Lance, and the soon-to-be-married, along with Charming, but not you. I’ve never seen your face nor heard of you until we came aboard this ship.” Leonard pushed off the wall, rocking the now empty bottle by the neck between his middle digit and thumb. The bottom swinging rapidly to and fro in a nervous gesture. That was something to think about. Captain Cold being nervous. For any reason. “I don’t like going into anything blind. You’re the only wild card. We’ve been working together for a week and a half, but I still haven’t seen everything up your sleeve.” The bottle stilled, “You can’t blame a man for wanting to be prepared. After all, you did neuter Duncan Briggs who was also known as the ‘Pyro Prince’ back home.”

So, it _was_ about their relationship like Duncan had thought. Damn, Wilton didn’t want to tell him he was right. Duncan was paranoid enough as it was, knowing he was right would make it worse. “I didn’t ‘neuter’ anyone,” Wilton felt a rumbling in his chest as he spoke. He was trying to restrain the biting urge at the back of his mind that said to punch the thief right in the center of his face. “Duncan’s still the same man he’s always been. Just better. Improved.”

“He’s weaker, now.”

“He’s changed. He’s stronger.”

“You’ve killed his fire,” that line was almost a snip. “Briggs’ abilities were enough to catch Mick’s eyes, but now he’s just a disappointment. You’ve softened him and now he’s just fizzled out.”

Suddenly, Wilton stepped up to Leonard. The older man didn’t flinch as their eyes were inches apart, noses nearly touching as Coverup invaded Cold’s space. His tone low and threatening as he enunciated every syllable, “Stay away from Duncan. He’s not going to be one of your pawns ever again.” He stepped back, scowl on his lips. “Get over it and move on.”

Leonard didn’t respond. Simply staring at the younger man with an expression that matched his alias. Somewhat satisfied, yet equally more pissed off than before, Wilton turned and made his way back to the bridge. Snart sighed, glancing down at his bottle and watching the drops inside move around. He gave one last attempt to rescue them from their containment before giving up. He tossed the bottle onto the floor, hearing it crack first then the reverberation off the walls as he threw his parka over his shoulder. He stiffened his spine, puckered his lips into a whistle and let his long legs take him to his room for the night.

**-**


	5. Mr. Button-Pusher

If there was one thing that Duncan Briggs hated after a nice hot shower, it was the fact that he had to deal with the bandages. When he wasn’t supposed to be ready for a fight, he had to keep his feet bandaged in case of accidental lighting. He sat atop the toilet, dressed in a pair of loose gym shorts as he carefully circled the thick bandage around and around, and in between each toe. When he finished, he wiggled them and sighed. He missed the days he went around free, but joining the team meant he had to be careful. One bad spark and it was possible he’d blow up the ship. Even before that, though, meeting Wilton had him caring about the safety of those around him.

When Charming used to run wild he didn’t care about the safety of others and would set whatever he wanted ablaze without a second thought; if it accidentally caught fire, all the better. He stood, grabbing his old clothes off the floor with a fresh tank thrown over his shoulder. He stepped out and turned to see that Leonard Snart had been waiting patiently for his turn.

“Good morning, Briggs,” was the almost amused drawl as the older man pushed off the wall with his clean clothes cradled in his arms. “You were in there for a while, I hope you didn’t use up all the hot water.”

“I figured you were one for cold showers, Snart,” the blonde returned as he stepped around the thief.

Leonard shrugged, “I’m flexible.”

“I’m sure you are,” Duncan held back a roll of his eyes. “Anyways, enjoy your shower.” And, ducking his head, he slipped down the hall as quickly as he could.

* * *

 

“I _told_ him to leave you alone,” Wilton growled from the bed, sitting up and sliding out to get ready for the day.

Duncan slipped his gray striped tank over his head as he spoke, “I doubt he knew _I_ was the one in the shower, babe.”

“He still could have just let you leave without making remarks,” Wilton grabbed his shorts off the floor and shimmied them on. “I’m close to thinking he’s not just trying to get into your head, but that he’s hitting on you.”

At that, Charming snorted, “Please, Leonard Snart is a known womanizer.”

“You know that doesn’t mean anything,” Wilton next grabbed his jeans and stuck a leg in. “I mean, I’m gay, but you’re bisexual. He could very well be the same. Or, he’s just closeted.”

“I really don’t think that’s the case,” Duncan shrugged. “I don’t really care either. I just hope he gets bored of this soon enough.”

“If he doesn’t, I’m going to have a serious word with him,” Coverup buttoned his pants, then looked up at his boyfriend. He stepped over, hands finding the older man’s hips and squeezing. His eyes meeting green orbs as he spoke softly, “You know I don’t mean to be so grumpy. He’s just a serious button-pusher.”

Duncan chuckled, “Trust me. I have a lot of experience with his button-pushing. He’s _very_ good at it.” He leaned in to kiss other man’s lips, hands sliding to his shoulders, then up the sides of his neck where warm thumbs brushed the stubble of dark cheeks. He pulled back, eyes smiling like his lips, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Wilton beamed, before giving one more quick smooch and pulling away from the blonde’s grip. He fetched his shirt and slipped his head through the neck hole, “I guess, we should get this day started.”

* * *

 

They were stuck in 1975 Japan. It was April and the sakura trees were blooming. They were vibrant and breathtaking, but nobody was allowed to leave the ship. They weren’t supposed to be there. Somehow during the jump there was an issue and while Rip was meaning to go to 1950s Russia they ended up crashing in this time and place. It happened late last night, so Ray and Karen started to work on the Waverider first thing this morning.

“I hope we get to come back here,” Duncan stated with eyes wide and amazed as he stared out the window on the ship’s bridge.

Wilton squeezed his boyfriend’s shoulder with a smile, “Maybe one day after we’re done with this. We’ll make a trip.”

“Planning for your honeymoon?”

Duncan shook his head, but his smile remained. He didn’t have to turn around to know whose voice that was, “You can’t ruin this, Snart.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” the man replied, smirking when Wilton turned an agitated stare in his direction.

“Don’t you have anybody else to bother?” the dark-skinned man scowled.

Leonard shrugged, “You’re the only two here. Raymond and the Bee are working on getting this bird back in the air, I haven’t found the Guardian or Miss Lance, and my partner has started his day drinking. So, I take a stroll and you two are here.”

“Then, take your stroll elsewhere.”

“Babe,” Duncan murmured to the younger man softly. He turned around to better face Leonard, and sighed, “Okay, I think we all need to talk about this.” He gestured between the three of them, “This growing tension and animosity, I can’t deal with this.”

Leonard placed a hand over his chest, a face of innocence, “I have absolutely no animosity towards either of you.”

“Bull shit,” Wilton nearly hissed.

“You’re not helping, Wil,” Charming frowned softly.

“He’s a ­ _button-pusher_ , Duncan.”

“You know, it’s rude to talk about someone when they’re standing in front of you,” Leonard tsked.

“Then, go _elsewhere_.”

Snart held his hands up in surrender, “All right, fine. I’ll take my leave. You two have a pleasant morning.” Despite his words, there was a suspicious smirk still on his lips as he turned around. He swaggered away, and all Wilton could do was groan.

“I can’t stand him.”

“I know,” Duncan sighed, “but you need to calm down. You’re letting him get you riled up. That means he wins.” He squeezed both of his boyfriend’s shoulders, “You need to pause, breathe, and move on. That’s what you always told me, right?”

There was a small moment that passed silently. Wilton’s eyes met with the other’s before falling. He leaned forward to rest his forehead against the older man’s shoulder, then buried his face into Charming’s neck. “I can’t believe he stole all that zen out of me,” he murmured into tan flesh.

“Well, he _is_ a thief,” the blonde snorted, wrapping his arms around his partner, and laughing at the light tap he felt on his back from a slightly annoyed palm.

“Shut your face.”

Duncan continued smiling. He could hear the chuckle that Wilton was trying to hide in his voice and hugged the other tighter. He sighed, “You were never _that_ zen to begin with, anyway.”

“I was totally zen.”

“You were a lot more than me when we first met,” Duncan rubbed at Wilton’s spine gently, soothingly.

Wilton groaned softly, “I don’t know how you got better at it than me.”

“I need it more,” he pulled back and gently nudged Wilton’s chin up to gain his attention. “You made my life so much better when you helped me control everything. It’s okay for you to let loose. You don’t have to keep it all together for me all the time. Just…when it comes to Snart, don’t lose it all. You need to take care of yourself, and you can’t do that if you’re stressing yourself out all the time like this.”

“Is it so bad that I’m protective of you?” Wilton rose a brow, squeezing Duncan’s elbows.

“No, but I’m protective of you, too. So, what am I supposed to do when I feel like I need to protect you from yourself?”

Wilton inhaled slowly, almost dramatically, and exhaled heavily, “I guess, you’re just going to have to distract me.”

Duncan smirked, pressing his lips to the other’s and humming gently, “Better?”

“A little,” Wilton smirked back. His hand slid down to squeeze Duncan’s, “I’m sorry for ruining the mood.”

“I forgive you,” the blonde winked, kissing the back of the dark hand in his palm.

* * *

 

“It looks like we just can’t stop running into each other today.”

Leonard Snart looked up from his mug as he turned around. In the galley, he thought he had been alone to grab a drink after dropping off an empty plate to be washed. The footsteps and voice that walked in were Duncan’s, and he was smiling. Snart rose a brow, his lips curling cautiously into an amused smile as he placed the mug on the tall table that sat in the middle of the kitchen, “You don’t seem all that upset about it, Briggs.”

“I don’t hate you, Snart,” Duncan chuckled as he walked over to the refrigerator. He opened the door to pull out a carton of milk, “Wilton might be a bit bristly towards you, but neither of us hates you.”

“I’ve been getting a very different vibe,” Leonard turned a sharp and tickled glance at the younger man.

Walking around Cold, Charming slipped a cup out of the cupboards and dropped it atop the counter. He opened the carton and slowly began to pour, “You can’t say you don’t deserve some of the attitude after all of the snark you send our way.”

Leonard shrugged, “Perhaps, but I’m only trying to make friends.”

“I know that’s a load of bull,” Duncan barked a laugh, finishing up and twisting the cap where it belonged. “You don’t make friends.”

“I guess not,” Snart replied simply, “since I’m a ‘button-pusher’.”

Charming swung a finger in the older man’s direction as he closed the refrigerator door once more; after returning the milk on the shelf, “You are. Don’t think you aren’t. You thrive off of pushing people’s buttons, no matter how much you claim to be uninterested in them.”

Captain Cold smirked, fingers dancing around the rim of his glass slowly, “You talk like you know me, Duncan.”

“I’ve crossed paths with you before, Snart. We’ve worked together,” Duncan reminded him. “I’m not the best at reading people or pretending that I understand them, but I can read a little off of you. I’m not an idiot.”

A smile flitted across Leonard’s lips as he sipped his mug. Duncan caught it and fought a strong grin from showing, hiding behind his own glass of milk. Leonard’s tongue darted to lick his lips as his mug landed once more on the table’s surface, “Can you really tell me that you don’t miss it, Briggs? All that chaos you brought?”

“I thought you weren’t a fan of chaos.”

“Not uncontrolled chaos,” Snart corrected.

“Is there such a thing as ‘controlled’ chaos?”

Leonard gave a smug smirk, as if he knew of a special secret, “There is.”

Duncan snorted, “I’ll take your word for it.”

“You should,” the criminal took another sip. “You haven’t answered my question, yet, Charming.”

“Snart…”

“Are you avoiding it?”

The younger man sighed, pausing as his brain worked to create the best response. He looked up at the man, his eyes taking in the details of the entertained expression on his face. He shook his head, “I’ve found something – someone – stabilizing my life. I was out of control before and the people I was with…the people I surrounded myself with…they weren’t helping.”

Leonard’s lips pursed for a moment. His eyes flickering to the side before landing on his beverage. He picked it up, and just before he placed back to his lips he sighed, “So disappointing.”

**-**


	6. Inch By Inch

“Merry Christmas.”

Leonard glanced up with a bottle to his lips, but no alcohol hitting his tongue just yet. Snart had been sitting in the cargo bay on his own, sitting down and leaning against one of the crates that usually sat around there. His legs were outstretched, feet drooping sideways in their boots, and his parka draped across his lap. The bottle was set down, cradled in both of his large palms.

Cyan eyes fluttered subtly before settling down with a solid blink. “Can I help you?” Cold inquired in a casual tone.

Duncan smirked at the man as he leaned against the doorframe. He had an unopened beer in his own hand, popping it as he spoke, “I noticed you went off all on your own.”

“Observant,” a dark brow twitched. “Don’t suppose you’d think I’d prefer to be alone at this moment, would you?”

Charming shrugged, “Maybe, but I had something on my mind that I wanted to discuss with you.”

“If it was to wish me a ‘Merry Christmas’ – congratulations – you achieved your goal.”

It was December 23rd, and Christmas Eve would be upon them in just a few hours. They were all celebrating a little bit early. They just finished with 2010, and they succeeded in saving the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in America’s military. They knew that Clock Wise was still on the run and that they wouldn’t have any time for a real celebration, but they could definitely get away with some heavy drinking.

Ignoring the older man’s reply, the firestarter continued with his point, “I’m usually big on privacy nowadays, but considering our history and your recent attitude towards my boyfriend and me I feel inclined to approach you.” He stepped into the cargo bay and made himself comfortable sitting beside Leonard; Captain Cold scooting an inch to put some distance between the two of them. “During this last one, I noticed you had some unexpected enthusiasm.”

The older man took a sip of his beer. His eyes narrowed as he turned a sideways gaze towards Duncan, “I don’t think your eyes are working if you thought I was ‘enthusiastic’ about anything these past few days.”

“Snart, it looked like you were taking it a little…personal this time.” Green eyes were on Leonard’s face, trying to examine any change in his features, “Like it was important to you that we didn’t let Clock Wise win this one.”

“It should be important to all of us,” Cold murmured around the lips of his bottle. “We shouldn’t be here otherwise.”

Duncan tapped his nails against the side of his bottle. He took his first gulp, letting the burning liquid slide down his throat and warm his chest. He exhaled vocally, setting the butt of his drink on his knee, “I get that people can feel strongly about any sort of injustice they see. They don’t have to be personally involved. And, I wouldn’t have thought what I’m thinking now if I wasn’t considering everything else that’s been happening the past month or so.”

Leonard heaved a sigh. With a grunt, he slowly rose to his feet. He threw his parka over his shoulder, finished his beer, and wiped at the corner of his mouth with his thumb, “This was fun, Briggs, but I think I’ll head to my room.”

“Snart, you’re attracted to men, aren’t you?” Cold paused. It wasn’t for long, but pausing at all was enough to give Charming a sense of gratification. “Leonard, it’s fine if you’re – ”

“Look, Briggs,” the older man puffed out a sigh, tapping his empty bottle against his thigh. His lips were curled, though it was obvious he was neither amused nor happy at the situation. It seemed to be in spite of himself that they were crooking upwards at all. “I don’t exactly go around telling everybody, and I don’t make a habit of keeping it completely locked away, but yes. I am attracted to men. And, women.” His beer bottle found his shoulder, now thwapping against Leonard’s thick parka, “I don’t exactly care about my partners’ parts, and I’m not ashamed of that.” He cocked a warning brow, “I just don’t want this to be some ‘hot gossip’ going about, got it?”

Duncan blinked, his jaw somewhat ajar as he was a little taken aback by Snart’s forwardness. He swallowed down some dry air, clearing his throat, and nodding, “Don’t worry. I won’t say a word about it to anyone.”

Leonard rolled his eyes, “Except your boyfriend?”

“N-No,” the younger man shook his head, “I won’t tell Wilton, either.”

“It’s fine,” Cold stated simply. “If it’s just him. I get that you two tell each other everything. Communication like that in a relationship is commendable, and I wouldn’t want to be in the way of something as beautiful as that.” The bottle fell back to rest against his thigh and Leonard stepped over Duncan’s sprawled out legs, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve had as much socializing as I can take for the night. It’s been fun.”

“Wait, Snart…”

Pausing, Cold’s head hung back, chin pointing up at the ceiling as he groaned softly. He turned his attention back to Charming, “ _What_?”

It seemed at first that Duncan couldn’t quite get his words to form just right, but after a few stumbles with his syllables he was able to slowly and cautiously speak, “So, it really was a bit personal for you…wasn’t it?”

There was a second pause for the night that had the younger’s heart skipping a beat or two in excitement. He couldn’t quite understand it, but finding this little bit of camaraderie in Snart was even the slightest bit comforting. Leonard cracked his neck, sighed, and shook his head, “I think spending all this time with you bleeding hearts has rubbed off on me a little.” He snorted, “I guess I need a vacation.” Before Duncan could argue, his voice caught in his throat as he couldn’t tell if what he saw was real or just a flicker of the light. A subtle wink came from Captain Cold before he slipped out of the cargo bay. His boots loudly sounding off behind him before gradually growing more and more faint by the second. Charming sighed, leaning against the crate and looking up at the ceiling. He hadn’t quite expected that. He was confident he was right even before he approached Leonard, but somehow…he didn’t think it would have such an impact on him. It was strange, but it wasn’t in a terrible or eerie way.

Duncan would have to tell Wilton, and maybe that would help him feel more at ease, as well. Knowing that Leonard didn’t hate them – at least he wasn’t targeting them for being “different”. He glanced down at his mostly full beer, then chuckled softly to himself, “I’ll tell him after this.”

* * *

 

“I thought you two fixed it,” Mick growled as the group stood around gathered on the bridge. They were supposed to ship out over an hour ago. It was 5:26 in the morning of December 24th and they were supposed to be heading to Spain in 2003 where Gideon believed Clock Wise to be. There was an attempt made to leave 2010, but as soon as the engines began roaring and whirring it was clear by the sounds and the shaking of the ship that they weren’t going anyway. Not safely, anyway. So, Karen and Ray ran a checkup of the system to see that their earlier repairs hadn’t held up as well as they had thought they would.

Ray sighed, running a hand through his hair, “We _did_ fix it. It was _fixed_.”

“However,” Karen crossed her arms with a sigh of her own, “one of the parts melted.”

“Is it a part that can be replaced?” Malcolm inquired hopefully. Getting stuck four years in the past wasn’t the worst thing that could happen at this point, but he’d rather not if it was avoidable.

“It should be.”

“ _‘Should’_ be?” Leonard rose a brow.

“Some of these parts are unfamiliar, but very similar to what we work with every day back in 2014,” Ray responded defensively. He looked to Rip who was silently standing with hands in his pockets, eyes on the floor and teeth clenched, “We’re talking an evolution of machinery. We’re dealing with tools and pieces we’ve never seen before and barely recognize. It’s possible if we find similar parts and get them to work as the piece we need to get the Waverider off the ground and back on Clock Wise’s tail.”

“So,” the captain finally spoke up, “where would we get the pieces required, Dr. Palmer?”

“We could go to my lab.”

“No,” Rip shook his head, “you can’t be interfering with your past selves. It can damage the timeline in ways we can’t comprehend.”

“I’ll go, then,” Karen suggested firmly. “I wasn’t interning with Ray at that point, so he hasn’t met me, yet.”

“But, what happens down the line?” Dinah leaned against the table, hands gripping the edge. “You try to intern a few years later and, what? What if younger Ray believes you stole what we need – ”

“If anyone is stealing anything it’ll be us,” Leonard purred, a little amused by the situation. “Knowing Raymond, it’ll be easy.”

“Excuse me,” Ray nearly gasped at the insult. “My security is nothing to laugh at Snart. It’d definitely give you a run for your money.”

Mick scoffed, “So, we break in,” the Atom interjected with a “Hey!” as Heat Wave continued without batting an eyelash, “grab whatever we need, and then we can get on with our manhunt. Easy.”

“All right, Raymond,” Leonard continued, stepping towards the other man with his usual smug smirk and arms gently swinging in tandem with his swagger. “Lay out the floor plans for your lab, we’ll go over your usual routine – when you’re in and out of the lab – and Mick and I will take care of the rest.”

Ray’s brows furrowed, “Shouldn’t we go over how my security system works?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Leonard gave a subtle wink while Mick was near beaming as he cracked a few knuckles.

“So, what do the rest of us do while you two are out being criminals?” Wilton inquired almost accusatory.

“Just sit here, relax, and we’ll be right back.”

Duncan cleared his throat, “Why don’t at least one of us go with you?”

“Not a chance in hell,” Mick immediately replied with a stern gruffness in his voice. “You’ll only get in our way.”

“I think that someone _should_ go with you two,” Rip agreed. “Mr. Briggs, if you’re confident about it, you should join Mr. Snart and Mr. Rory.”

Heat Wave’s eyes narrowed, “We don’t need a babysitter.”

“No one said anything about a babysitter, Mr. Rory.”

“That’s what they’d be, though.”

Leonard crossed his arms, his lips settling into a thin line, “My partner’s right. The only reason anyone in here would believe we need a third player is because they don’t think we’ll make it back with the goods. Which is ridiculous considering neither of us wants to be stuck here anymore than the rest of you.”

“It’s not that,” Duncan insisted. “I just think if you could use a third person in case things go wrong – ”

“They won’t.”

“Oh, please,” the blonde man’s hands found his hips. “What was it you always said? ‘Make the plan. Execute the plan. Expect the plan to go off the rails. Throw away the plan’. You never expect a job to go perfectly.”

Cold fell silent as his blue-tinted gaze looked Charming over. He wasn’t wrong, but Mick and he were partners. When things went south they didn’t have to think twice on watching their own backs, as well as each other’s. An additional person was just one more element in a flawed plan they’d have to be conscious of. It would be too distracting. Though, the job was simply stealing something from Ray’s lab. It wasn’t as though they’d actually be in danger.

It was a simple mission, and if they couldn’t handle having one more person then, then…

“Fine,” Leonard’s eyes were alight, shining as his thin lips curled almost devilishly, “we’ll take you along, Duncan. If you can keep up.”

“Boss,” Mick threw an agitated gaze at Snart who in turn shot back a pointed narrowed gaze. Rory huffed, marching away to fetch a beer.

“Well?” Cold returned his attention to the younger. “Yes? Or, was that all talk just now?”

Ray looked between the two, “Uh, shouldn’t I be the one to go? It’s _my_ lab.”

“I’ll do it,” Duncan answered the thief and completely ignored the scandalized physicist; the Atom looked to Dinah who simply shrugged at the situation.

“All right,” Leonard looked to Palmer with a smirk. “Raymond, I’ll go grab my partner, you grab whatever you need, and we’ll meet back here in an hour to go over every inch of this job in order to make it a success. Briggs,” his eyes flickered to the younger once more, “same thing. One hour.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Arms flopping to the side, Ray heaved a sigh, “I guess I’m fine with it, too. Since I don’t really have a say in the matter.”

“You’re a good sport, Raymond,” Leonard gave a harsh pat to the taller man’s back. Chuckling to himself, the thief mastermind slipped away after his unruly friend.

“Well,” Duncan sighed softly, smiling at Wilton, “that went well.”

**\- TBC**


End file.
